Simply Tolerable
by nikkitusa
Summary: She could remember the kiss vividly. She could remember every little detail about it. But the one thing she couldn't remember was the man... Join Lizzie through a whirlpool of events involving love, chaos, drama, and a certain pair of clear, blue eyes.
1. First Meetings

**Simply Tolerable**

**Chapter 1: First Meetings**

_**Summary: She could remember the kiss vividly. She could remember every little detail about it. But the one thing she couldn't remember was the man... Join Lizzie through a whirlpool of events involving love, chaos, drama, and a certain pair of clear, blue eyes.**_

_**Disclaimer: Okay. If I owned Pride and Prejudice, do you really think I would be here on Fanfiction? No. I would totally be sitting in some awesome mansion and working away on my next masterpiece. And I'm not, so therefore I don't own Pride and Prejudice.**_

Average? AVERAGE? _She_ was _average_??? He had the personality of a sponge and he had the nerve to call her average?

_How dare he?_ she thought to herself as she downed her third glass of vodka. The alcohol raced down her throat, leaving a burning sensation which only fueled her anger even more. She knew that she shouldn't, but she asked the waiter for another glass and downed it, wanting to forget her annoyance at the obnoxious man before her.

Elizabeth Bennett was not a proud woman. In fact, she liked to think of herself as quite modest. Perhaps spending two years with her loving sister and caring friends had inflated her ego a bit. Even then, she knew she wasn't perfect, but _simply tolerable_?

She wasn't hurt because of the insult itself. She had grown up in New York City. Insults were almost like vitamins to her, taken every day and not given a second thought. What hurt her was disinterested way that the man had said it in. It seemed like he did not even think much about it. Like she was a fly on his shoe instead of a person. And that infuriated her. She couldn't even slam him with a comeback, because he wouldn't care.

"Lizzie, you have to stop drinking dear." Jane's voice pulled her out of her jumbled, murderous thoughts. Elizabeth looked at Jane and sighed, nodding her head in submission. The anger wasn't gone yet, but she had calmed down enough that she could face the party again.

Jane and Lizzie reentered the ballroom. Lizzie looked around realizing, that if it hadn't been for that man, Darcy, she would have enjoyed herself quite a bit. Mrs. Lucas, as insane and boy-crazy as she was, definitely knew how to throw an amazing party. The ballroom was quite spacious, leaving plenty of room for both dancing and mingling. There was a lavish bar (where Lizzie had spent her last fifteen minutes) and an elaborate food court where all sorts of extravagant dishes could be ordered. The decorations were done superbly, giving the entire place an ethereal feeling with white curtains, twinkling fairy lights, and crystal ornaments. All around the room, people flitted about, wearing formal dresses and suits with masks. Of course, every extravagant party had to have a theme, this one being Formal Masquerade Ball. Considering that the Lucases were a middle-class Californian family, this was a spectacular welcoming bash that had been thrown.

The bash had been for the man who now held her beloved sister, Jane's, attention. With bright, curly red hair and twinkling green eyes, Charles Bingley seemed like the perfect suitor for Jane. He was kind and friendly and he had been devoted to Jane ever since he had arrived. Though to a stranger, it may have seemed like Jane was not very interested in Charles, or Charlie as he liked to be called, Lizzie, having known her cousin ever since she was a baby, knew that Jane was completely smitten by the man. She hung on his every word, continuously blushed a bright red (almost dark enough to match her partner's hair), and smiled brightly every time he made a joke. Lizzie smiled while looking at them; they seemed so happy.

But then he came into her sight. That man was so egotistical that Lizzie was afraid that maybe his big head might just throw the Earth off balance and make California the South Pole if it got any bigger. She sighed. It would do her no good to keep on insulting the man under her breath. Of course, Lizzie kept at it for a good fifteen more minutes. Who said that any good had to come of it? It was fun!

After half an hour, Lizzie had completely forgotten about insulting Darcy and how much fun it was, abandoning that pleasurable activity for a more sensible one, finding a bathroom to puke in. There it was! Lizzie hurried towards the door with the toilet sign on it, trying to keep her eyes down as to avoid any conversations with socialites by inviting them through eye contact. Lizzie started thanking the heavens as she came near the door.

Apparently, the heavens had an odd sense of humor. Her mother called out her name just before Lizzie could run into the bathroom. Lizzie stopped right before the door, watching it warily, as if it might disappear as she talked to her mother. Francine Bennett strode over to her daughter with an annoyed look on her face.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"What do you mean, mom?"

"You know what I mean. Why are you lurking around here when you could be out on the dance floor with a man?"

"I just need to use the bathroom mom, and then I'll dance with people, okay?"

"Fine."

* * *

Francine sighed. She didn't need this in her life. She had been an actress, a decently popular one as well, but when Francine was fired off of a set for being too much of a diva, she could not find any more work. It seemed that the movie business had decided her career for her. Desperate for money and a future, she married Tom Bennett, an upcoming lawyer in New York. Now, Mrs. Bennett had everything she could ever want, money, power, and fame, but the two things that bugged her in life were her two daughters, Lizzie and Mary. They had no aspirations. They were perfectly content in pursuing "an education". Like that would get them very far. Francine Bennett had not even graduated out of high school and look at her now!

Francine caught a sight of Jane, her eldest daughter. She smiled. Now Jane was a daughter to be proud of! Beautiful and wildly admired by men, she put up a show of being oblivious to their affections. Her daughter had men chasing after her like lovesick puppies.

Mrs. Bennett turned her focus onto a more eminent problem. Her youngest daughter was sitting against the wall, reading some useless book. She stormed over to Mary, determined to accomplish her task.

* * *

Charlotte Lucas was standing on the sidelines of the party, feeling very bored and unhappy. Though she knew she was nothing to look at, she felt disappointed that not one of the young, available bachelors had danced with her. She felt like screaming at them and forcing them to dance with her, but she stayed where she was, silent and seemingly calm. She fiddled with her mask which was pinching her face and she scowled when she heard a chuckle behind her.

"What do you want George?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

Charlotte glared at her friend. They had recently met at a party, and had become friends during the time. Even though Charlotte knew she shouldn't, she felt herself being drawn towards the boy, who, with sparkling blue eyes and mussed-up brown hair, would have been her mother's favorite suitor, until they conversed that is. He was nothing like the boys her mother had previously thrown at her, and that what was made him so refreshing for Charlotte. But there was something about him that just didn't feel right.

"Charlotte? Hello? You still alive?" George asked, grinning.

"What? Oh, yeah. Sorry. I was thinking about something." Charlotte decided to stop worrying about it and just enjoy herself with her new found friend.

"Oh, so you were dreaming about me again? It's okay. I have the effect on girls," he joked.

Charlote grinned and punched George in the shoulder. He flinched and scolded her for "such horrid acts of violence". Charlotte quieted him and asked him to dance. As he led her to the dance floor, she couldn't shake the ominous feeling out of her mind.

* * *

There we have it! The first chapter of my first fanfic! Whew! You guys have no idea how relieved I am that thing's finally up. It's been looking at me, naggin me for months. I had just written a few lines for fun one night, but somehow those few lines became a chapter!

Now I just want all of you to know that I'm an evil author. If I don't get any reviews, I won't update, so REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!!!!

K, see you next time!


	2. The Plot Thickens

**Simply Tolerable**

**Chapter 1: First Meetings**

_**Summary: She could remember the kiss vividly. She could remember every little detail about it. But the one thing she couldn't remember was the man... Join Lizzie through a whirlpool of events involving love, chaos, drama, and a certain pair of clear, blue eyes.**_

_**Disclaimer: Okay. If I owned Pride and Prejudice, do you really think I would be here on Fanfiction? No. I would totally be sitting in some awesome mansion and working away on my next masterpiece. And I'm not, so therefore I don't own Pride and Prejudice.**_

* * *

A/N: Okay, thank you guys so much for reviewing! I feel so much better now! I was practically hyperventilating all day, wondering if you guys would like it. So all of your reviews were positive (all three :D ) and I'm feeling inspired so I decided to get out another chapter.

Oh, and sorry about the confusion. Jane is Lizzie's sister, not her cousin.

I really don't know which way I want to take this yet, so if you guys have any ideas, let me know!

ONWARDS!

* * *

Lizzie groaned as she opened her eyes. Why did the sun have to shine in the morning? Couldn't it wait until afternoon to come? Grumbling at the pain in her head, Lizzie stumbled out of bed, blearily trying to make it to some coffee before she tripped on something.

But of course, she tripped. On a man's jacket.

Lizzie snapped out of her dazed state, head still hurting, but having more important matters at hand to worry about than the crazed monkey inside her head that was beating a drum incessantly, laughing at her pain.

Focus, Lizzie.

She looked at the jacket curiously. She then proceeded to poke at it cautiously as if she was afraid it would bite her. It didn't. She then racked her memory, trying to recall why she had a jacket in her room. Blurry images shot through her head, confusing her even more.

She decided to abandon the task and she set to finding herself a cup of coffee and a bunch of Advils. And of course, there was a pretty good chance that there would some puking as well.

Once that was taken care of, Lizzie set about to making herself decently respectable, brushing her teeth, taking a quick shower, and brushing her hair. She stepped out of her bathroom, towel securely wrapped around her middle, standing in front of her closet. Today, she remembered with dread, she had to go to a lunch at her parents' house with Jane. And the Bingleys had been invited over, along with _him_. Lizzie scowled as she remembered the tall, handsome William Darcy, CEO of Darcy Enterprises, recalling his harsh words from the night before.

Deciding on a nice silk top and some dress pants with a pair of simple, black heels, Lizzie looked at the clock. It was 11 o' clock, so she still had some time. Of course, her head still was not in tip-top shape, but it was better than she had expected it to be, so overall Lizzie was happy.

Until, once again, she tripped on the man's jacket. Grumbling, she looked at it. Now that her head had taken pity on her, Lizzie set to trying to recall all of the previous day's, more like party's, events.

She remembered arriving at the party and chatting with Charlotte about the guests who were about to come. She remembered seeing Charles Bingley, Caroline Bingley, and _it_ for the first time. She definitely remembered hearing Will Darcy insult her and also could recall that in her anger, she had consumed too much alcohol. After that, things got fuzzy. Racking her brain, she could remember going outside for a breath of fresh air. Once she was outside, she remembered talking to somebody. Then…

Lizzie gasped. She remembered kissing somebody. But who? All she could remember was a pair of eyes; eyes which seemed to steal her away with them, but she couldn't remember anything else. What had happened last night? What had she done?

Lizzie went into her bedroom and sat down on the bed, refusing to even think about what might have happened the night before. She prayed that she hadn't been a complete idiot and let whoever it was take advantage of her.

But most of all, she wondered who the man from last night was. She could remember his eyes.

"Lizzie! Are you ready yet, because if we're not at home in half an hour, mom's going to have a fit!" Lizzie heard her eldest sister's voice ring through the apartment.

She grumbled and got off of her bed. Then, she put a smile on her face and called on to Jane in a very preppy voice, "Dear Janie! I'm here! And look I'm all ready to go! Are you all ready to go? Because if so, let's go!"

Jane entered Lizzie's bedroom and spoke, her annoyance apparent, "Lizzie, that's not funny! We haven't visited the family in more than 6 months and we're only a half an hour drive away!"

Lizzie smirked, "Have you ever thought that maybe there's a reason why that's been the case?"

"Lizzie!" Jane screamed. She then sighed, suddenly looking very tired. Lizzie decided to stop bothering her older sister, realizing that Jane was probably pretty stressed about the party as well, considering that it would be the first time that Charlie, her "friend" (that's what Jane claimed, but

Lizzie knew better) would really get to spend time with her family. It was no wonder that she was worried.

"Well, c'mon!" Lizzie called over her shoulder as she exited the room.

"Jane smiled and followed her out of the apartment.

All throughout the car drive, Jane was chattering on and on about Charlie and how lovely he was, barely even stopping for breath. Lizzie began to wonder how Jane managed to keep speaking for so long. Getting bored of hearing of Charlie's many "wondrous qualities", Lizzie opened her window and turned her focus on the scenery, watching as green, grassy hills shot by, topped by windmills that were lazily spinning in the slight wind. She saw cattle grazing on the slopes and saw the horses playing around as well. She could smell the scent of fresh grass and could feel the cold air brush against her face, calming her and exciting her at the same time. She felt a breath of air on her neck. Suddenly, a memory flashed through her head.

_She was in a hallway of the Lucas's home, her arms wrapped around someone. She could feel his breath on her neck, the warmth sending shivers down her body. She could hear his voice, a calming soothing baritone. She turned her face to look up at him, and saw those eyes again, a startling, bright, blue just like the sky. She smiled at him and held her breath as he brought himself closer, closer, closer…_

"Lizzie! Goodness gracious! What's happening to you? Stop spacing out will you? Come on, get out of the car. We're home!" Jane turned on her heel and headed towards the door, leaving Lizzie in her muddled thoughts. Lizzie decided to forget about the mystery man and think about other things. She stepped into the house and, ignoring her mother's shouts, headed up to the library, where she met Mary, curled up with a book. Lizzie sat down and began thinking about how to brave a whole afternoon with her parents, sisters, Caroline Bingley, and Will Darcy.

Now, of course, her parents were notorious for being obnoxious. Especially her mother. In fact, mainly her mother was known for being a complete gossip maniac, one whose last wish was that she see all five of her daughters married off. Francie Bennett made it quite clear to the world that her daughters were to marry handsome, rich, young men and become more famous, rich, and powerful than she herself was. Francie especially loved to talk about Jane, her eldest daughter, bragging about her daughter's beauty and her gentle, docile nature. And it was quite obvious to the world that while Jane was Francie's favorite daughter, Lizzie was her least favorite. It made sense, considering that in her young age, Lizzie had been the complete opposite of Francie's view of a perfect daughter, not being interested in makeup and boys, instead wishing to focus on sports, academics, and friends. Francie just couldn't comprehend that her second oldest daughter actually wished to have an education when she could just marry a wealthy man and be done with all of that hard work. Tom Bennett was simply very quiet. He would rather spend his time with a good book than with a person, with the exception of his favorite daughter, Lizzie, whom he always had time for. Though Jane was quite sweet and kind and quite tolerable for company, Tom felt that all of his daughters, except for Lizzie, were all just his wife's lapdogs, doing whatever she wanted them to. His three youngest daughters were quite atrocious in his mind, one living in her own world of books, not caring to even speak with others, and the other two, ditzy, stupid teenagers who, like their mother, could talk about nothing but boys, clothes, and gossip.

Lizzie felt that though very harsh, her father's view was correct. But instead of feeling that Mary was useless because she didn't interact with the outside world, Lizzie simply felt that she was shy, which was true. Mary barely spoke to those she knew, and she never uttered a word in front of a stranger, preferring to just listen to the conversation as she delved into the pages of one of her many books. She was the complete opposite of her two youngest sisters, Kitty and Lydia. Where Mary preferred to wear conservative clothing, Kitty and Lydia strutted around in clothes that most would declare to be "much too revealing". While Mary went around with no make up on her face, Kitty and Lydia looked like Barbie dolls, ones that had their makeup done by a five-year old, with too much mascara, eyeshadow, and a scary amount of bronzer. Finally, while Mary had read countless books, the two youngest Bennett sisters could count the number of books they had read on one hand, one of which was "The Little Red Riding Hood".

Lizzie sighed as she remembered her family. But they were not the worst part of that afternoon. There were going to be two other people there at the lunch party. One of which, she could handle and ignore, the other one constantly sending her into a angry state within seconds. Caroline Bingley wasn't that bad, Lizzie had decided. Yes, she was cold, and haughty, but at least she could be ignored. She had blonde hair and did her makeup quite heavily, but still, she might have looked beautiful had it not been for the scowl the seemed to permanently mar her features. With her Prada bags and Gucci dresses, Caroline might have looked quite elegant and fashionable, if all of clothes weren't horribly mismatched and gaudy. The day before, at the party, she had been wearing a bright orange cocktail dress with black earrings and pink high heels. This all might have passed, had it not been for the chartreuse wrap that she had wrapped around her tall, thin frame. Lizzie recalled herself wondering where Caroline could have purchased such a scarf. Lizzie smiled at this thought. She probably had it custom-made, Lizzie decided.

Finally, the one person she was truly dreading to meet, Mr. William Darcy, would be there. He might have been attractive too, Lizzie thought, if it hadn't been for his horrible personality. He stood at an impressive 6' 3", with long brown hair, sharp masculine features, and clear blue, eyes…

Wait a second, clear blue eyes… No! Lizzie almost fell off of her chair as she thought about this. No, it can't be. She laughed at herself silently for thinking such a thing. Her and Will Darcy? If that happened, she would change her name!

She stayed in the library for a little while, just enjoying her surroundings. Lizzie had always loved books. When she was a little girl, her father would read her books, and teach her about all of the new words. She smiled remembering the wonderful times she had in the library. She decided to head downstairs when she heard the doorbell ring.

Great, Lizzie thought, and the torture begins!

* * *

And the plot thickens.

Yeah yeah, I know. You all hate me for leaving you with so little. I bet you are all cursing me right now for not telling you enough who Lizzie's mystery man is. Don't worry though. I will do my best to update regularly, even if it means staying up late... this is where you all cheer and clap for your amazing author

I have written out a timeline that is turning out to be 40 chapters or so, but hey, let me know some of your ideas. If you want something to happen, tell me. Let me just warn you though, I might not incorporate your ideas. Also, my story is not going to be following Pride and Prejudice exactly, I will try to stick to it a bit, but certain things happen that just had to be different.

Anyways, I've bored you enough. Now shoo! and let me write more for you like the wonderful amazing author that I am! :)


	3. Lunch and Memories

**Simply Tolerable**

**Chapter 3: Lunch and Memories**

_**Summary: She could remember the kiss vividly. She could remember every little detail about it. But the one thing she couldn't remember was the man... Join Lizzie through a whirlpool of events involving love, chaos, drama, and a certain pair of clear, blue eyes.**_

_**Disclaimer: Okay. If I owned Pride and Prejudice, do you really think I would be here on Fanfiction? No. I would totally be sitting in some awesome mansion and working away on my next masterpiece. And I'm not, so therefore I don't own Pride and Prejudice.**_

As Lizzie walked down the steps, she saw the party of three at the door greeting her mother and sisters. Lizzie barely stifled a laugh as she saw Caroline enter. As usual, Caroline had dressed with her "impeccable taste", which consisted of a blinding orange dress, hot pink pumps, and a chartreuse jacket. She topped it all off with a blue bag that had silver buckles and hoops and silver jewelry. Lizzie smirked and wondered if Caroline Bingley even owned a mirror. Though her makeup had been applied carefully, there was so much that she appeared completely fake. In fact, Lizzie recalled a blonde in her senior year, one of the typical Barbie cheerleaders, upon seeing Caroline.

Charlie came in right behind Caroline with a big grin on his face. If she was meeting him for the first time and he didn't look so completely adorable, Lizzie would have been convinced that he was some sort of madman. But of course, as always, Charlie was cute and sweet and overall wonderful. He was smiling and greeting the Bennetts; excluding Lizzie, Mary, and Mr. Bennett; as he stood in the entrance in jeans, a white button-down shirt and a denim jacket. _Nice_, Lizzie thought to herself. Apparently, the man could dress himself and, unlike his sister, could actually dress well.

As long as she had tried to keep her gaze off of him, Lizzie's eyes flicked towards the tall, brooding, young man in the doorway. She frowned when she saw him. She tried to convince herself that it was because of her immense hatred for the man when, in reality, she realized that, while Charlie looked nice in his ensemble and could pull it off well, he came up short when standing next to his friend. Darcy was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, a white button-down shirt, and a black dress jacket. As much as she hated to admit it, Lizzie noticed that Darcy looked very good. In fact, Lizzie also heard her sisters, Kitty and Lydia, gasp when they saw Darcy. Immediately, the two teens became starry-eyed and they practically scrambled over each other to reach him. Darcy kept his disdain well-masked, but one could tell that he was not exactly happy at the prospect of the two girls fawning over him. He gave up on his attempt to hide his emotions when Lydia started pulling on his arm, trying to lead him to the guest bedroom, and speaking to him in what she hoped was a seductive manner. He scowled at her and pulled his arm out of her grasp, sharply declining her "offer". Lizzie snorted.

Darcy's eyes flew to her face. She gasped softly. His eyes were so… breathtaking. _No, Lizzie!_ She told herself. _This is Darcy for crying out loud. The arrogant jerk who insulted you just last night!_

Insulting Darcy helped her forget the effect his eyes were having on her. She was able to ignore his deep, blue eyes and give him a condescending smirk. He frowned, confused, and turned his attention onto the family in front of him. Lizzie saw his frown become deeper when he heard Mrs. Bennett gush about Charlie's wealth to the rest of the Bennetts.

They all headed out of the house and onto a patio in the back. On the wooden patio, Mrs. Bennett had arranged a table a seating arrangement for ten. Of course, in her usual style, Francine Bennett had gone over the top and set the table in an elaborate way, making the table look less like one that a person would see outside on a patio and more like one that could be found in a fancy, expensive restaurant. Even then, Caroline Bingley looked at the table in disgust. William Darcy appeared indifferent to the surroundings. The Bennetts and Charlie sat down, and immediately struck up pleasant conversation. Mrs. Bennett, Jane, and Charlie were talking about Charlie's company as Mary read and Kitty and Lydia giggled, gossiped, and pointed at Darcy. Lizzie and Mr. Bennett were talking about the book, The Great Gatsby, when William took interest in their discussion and began offering his viewpoint on the story as well. Caroline's curiosity in said conversation was immediately spiked when she saw Darcy show an interest in the topic.

"How can you say that Gatsby was not justified in his methods of acquiring wealth?" Lizzie questioned Darcy heatedly, her voice annoyed and her eyes blazing.

Darcy started, taken aback by the fire in Lizzie's eyes. He realized that her eyes were hazel, and they changed color. They were brown when things were normal, but they became green when she was excited or angry, as they were at that moment.

"How can you say that Gatsby was wrong?"

Darcy snapped out of his thoughts and saw Lizzie glaring at him, frowning.

"He was justified. After all, he loved Daisy. He only wanted the money to impress her. Gatsby felt that the only way that she would consider him was if he was wealthy. He felt the need to prove himself to her. How can you condemn love?" Lizzie asked Darcy, her feelings obvious in her voice.

"He was a bootlegger! Why would he think that his wealth would impress Daisy if he had to be a bootlegger to reach his means?" Darcy retorted.

"Because he loved her!" Lizzie practically screamed of frustration in response. By that time, all other conversations had stopped. Everybody was focusing on the two people embroiled in debate. They were becoming quite heated and they had completely forgotten about those around them.

Caroline, annoyed that the attention had been diverted from her and her rather loud discussion about her favorite clothing lines, decided to enter the debate.

"The Great Gatsby? Oh, I was in the play!"

Charlie gave Caroline a puzzled look. It was quite obvious to the rest of the group that Caroline was lying and that she had never been in any such play.

Lizzie looked at Caroline incredulously, unable to believe that Caroline even knew the plotline of The Great Gatsby, let alone that she had starred in said play.

"You were in The Great Gatsby?" Lizzie asked her, surprise evident in her voice.

"Yes!" Caroline attempted to sound convincing, but she came off as unsure and confused.

Darcy smirked and barely concealed a snort. Lizzie raised an eyebrow, studying him carefully. He seemed to feel her penetrating gaze and he rose his eyes to meet hers.

Lizzie fought the urge to gasp. His eyes. Though they had been startling before, at the moment, they were even more enthralling. Before, Darcy had been disinterested and his eyes reflected annoyance. When she looked at him now, she noticed that his eyes were bright and alluring. They seemed to draw her in and she almost felt like she had seen his eyes before. Not his bored, disinterested ones. These new, captivating, dizzying ones. Lizzie couldn't remember where, but she felt like she had seen his eyes before…

"Lizzie?" Jane called out her name.

Lizzie was brought out of her daydreaming and she looked around to see everyone looking at her. Some were looking at her with concern, fake and real, some with disdain -well, one really- and one with arrogant pride. She scowled at Darcy when she saw the smirk plastered on his face. She wanted to smack that smirk off of his face. It was quite obvious to her that he thought that he was god's gift to women, but that didn't mean that he had the right to smirk because she had spaced out while she was around him. It wasn't like she was falling at his feet or worshipping the ground he walked on!

Lizzie ripped her gaze away from the man and looked at Jane. Lizzie smiled and innocently asked, "Yeah, Jane?"

"Are you alright Lizzie?" Jane asked, concern evident on her beautiful face.

"Yeah, Jane. I'm fine. I just spaced out for a bit." Lizzie assured Jane.

Jane looked at Lizzie with suspicion in her eyes, and was about to ask Lizzie another question when Mrs. Bennett cut in, "Why don't we all head inside? It is getting a bit chilly!"

People nodded their heads in agreement as Jane flashed Lizzie a look that said that they would talk about the subject later. Lizzie sighed. Darcy looked at her, a very amused expression on his face. Lizzie glared at him and asked, "What?"

Darcy simply shook his head, smiled, and headed inside, following everyone into the living room. Lizzie scowled and joined him.

* * *

As she watched their guests drive off in their car, Lizzie let out a sigh of relief. She had never been so happy to see people go away as she was at that moment. Throughout the remainder of the luncheon, she had felt Darcy's gaze on her, making her extremely uncomfortable. She figured that he must have been angry at her or something because he was glaring at her the whole time. Though Lizzie wasn't a shy person, or even slightly introversive, having Darcy's glare on her the entire time had been disconcerting. She was glad that he was gone and she would probably never have to see him again.

* * *

There we have it! A little filler chapter for you all so that you don't come after me with pitchforks. I know that I haven't updated in a bit, and I apologize, but hey, I have a life too! As much as I love making you guys happy with my stories, I was a bit busy, so this chapter was delayed. Please oh please oh please, let me know if you have any ideas or if you want something to happen. I'll have you know, mystery man doesn't come out until later, so don't get your hopes up, but I'm going as fast as I can with this story. I have a few more stories that are calling out to me that I cannot start until I finish this story, so I've been working on this one every chance that I get..

Finally. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!!!!! You know, I won't update unless I get a certain number of reviews. That number is secret and I will update once I get that many reviews. I pretty much have the next chapter planned out and it won't take too long to write, but I'm not posting it until the reviews reach my goal! So, you know what to do.

Press that green button!!!!!!!


	4. A New Friend

**Simply Tolerable**

**Chapter 4: A New Friend**

_**Summary: She could remember the kiss vividly. She could remember every little detail about it. But the one thing she couldn't remember was the man... Join Lizzie through a whirlpool of events involving love, chaos, drama, and a certain pair of clear, blue eyes.**_

_**Disclaimer: Okay. If I owned Pride and Prejudice, do you really think I would be here on Fanfiction? No. I would totally be sitting in some awesome mansion and working away on my next masterpiece. And I'm not, so therefore I don't own Pride and Prejudice.**_

* * *

A/N: I'm Back!!!!!!! Okay, scold me all you want. I know I haven't updated in forever. I have just been totally swamped with all of this work at school. I barely even eat during lunch anymore. And sleep? Oh you can just forget about sleep...

Okay, enough about my boring life, and onto Lizzie's interesting one!!!!

* * *

Lizzie grinned as she entered through the door. She had spotted her best friend, Charlotte Lucas**,** at a table in their favorite meeting place, Starbucks. Lizzie and her friend were quite similar but also completely different at the same time. Charlotte, with her black curls and bright, brown eyes, was optimistic and almost preppy while Lizzie, brown locks, hazel eyes, and all, was a cynic, viewing the world with scrutiny. They had been friends for many years, their friendship beginning when Lizzie punched a guy for harrassing Charlotte. Ever since, the two were inseparable.

As Lizzie looked at her friend, she noticed a man sitting next to her. He was tall, with sandy blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes, and rugged good looks. Though he wasn't drop-dead gorgeous like Darcy, this man was attractive enough that Lizzie had to stop her jaw from droppingfan

Charlotte noticed her approach and waved at her, motioning her over. Lizzie gladly walked over, taking the last available seat at the table. Charlotte grinned at Lizzie and talked to the man**:** "George, this is Elizabeth Bennett, the girl I was telling you about. She's been my best friend since middle school."

Lizzie joked back, a little bit defensive, "Hey, Billy Collins was asking for it! I had to punch him to keep him away from you!"

Charlotte turned to a very confused George, "Billy Collins and I dated for a while in 6th grade, but he became very touchy-feely, and I decided to end it. He didn't take it well, thinking that I was playing hard to get. Lizzie came in between us and stopped him."

"Yeah, and I've been paying ever since," Lizzie muttered.

Charlotte continued, "Billy thought that Lizzie came between us because she wanted him, and he followed her for the rest of middle school and high school. Well, until he moved away suddenly."

Lizzie grinned, "And thank God for that!"

George laughed, "In that case, Lizzie, I'm George Wickham. I have an annoying ex-girlfriend that needs taking care of..."

Lizzie laughed, "Sure! I just need a name, a picture, and an address, and you can consider her taken care of!"

The three of them laughed heartily. Suddenly, Charlotte's phone began vibrating on the table. She grabbed it, glanced at the caller ID, and squealed, "Oh my gosh! I totally forgot! I'm sorry. I have to go! I'm going to be late for my meeting with Miss de Bourgh!"

Charlotte tore out of the shop, leaving a very confused Lizzie and George behind. They looked at each other with odd expressions on their faces, saw the other's expression, and burst out laughing. Afterwards, the afternoon passed quite pleasantly, and Lizzie found herself quite comfortable with George, enjoying his company immensely. She learned that he was a struggling actor. On the side, he did all sorts of odd jobs to stay afloat. She found his dedication and perseverance enthralling. They exchanged phone numbers and planned on getting together again.

* * *

Hi Everybody! *Dodges flying tomatoes* I know I know. I haven't updated in like forever. But hey, I did'n't know where to go from Chapter 3. Now, I have the outline finished, so I can blackmail you all for reviews. So remember, click that green button and let me know what to write for you guys! You never know. Maybe I'll like your suggestion so much that I'll completely change my story to incorporate it. Anyways, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!


	5. Confession

**Simply Tolerable**

**Chapter 5: Confession**

_**Summary: She could remember the kiss vividly. She could remember every little detail about it. But the one thing she couldn't remember was the man... Join Lizzie through a whirlpool of events involving love, chaos, drama, and a certain pair of clear, blue eyes.**_

_**Disclaimer: Okay. If I owned Pride and Prejudice, do you really think I would be here on Fanfiction? No. I would totally be sitting in some awesome mansion and working away on my next masterpiece. And I'm not, so therefore I don't own Pride and Prejudice.**_

* * *

A/N: DON'T KILL ME PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PLEASE! Trust me when I say that I've been freakishly busy! I had a lot of choir stuff and then I had to perform at grad, and then I had writer's block, and then I lost this chapter, and finally my beta disappeared! But I rewrote it, and I have finally published it! Sorry about being so late! Please don't kill me!

Also, I think my beta has left fanfiction, since they haven't responded to any PMs for the past three months, so this chapter is un-beta'd! Sorry about any typos or grammar mistakes. Also, if you're interested in being my beta, let me know! Finally, I end this long author's note with my motto: REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!

* * *

Lizzie walked into the apartment and sighed heavily. She had been completely worn out by her day at college. She happily thought about her upcoming graduation and how she would finally be free from the hectic, crazy life she was living. Jane looked up from her book with a knowing look on her face and reminded Lizzie, "Only three months left, sweetheart. Then you're free from all of it."

Lizzie turned and grinned at her elder sister. "I know! And then god knows where I'll be!"

Jane smiled at Lizzie and was opening her mouth to say something when the phone rang, interrupting her.

Jane leaped at the phone, moving faster than Lizzie had ever seen her move. She picked up and breathlessly said, "Hello?"

Apparently, she was pleased with who she heard, since she cradled the phone next to her ear and began talking shyly. Lizzie looked at Jane with obvious interest, wondering who it could be who was capable of holding her sister's attention so completely. Jane was laughing and blushing furiously, her cheeks beginning to remind Lizzie of bright, red tomatoes. Lizzie waited for her sister to put down the phone.

"So?" Lizzie asked, raising her eyebrows.

"So what?" Jane responded, attempting to act normal.

"Aw c'mon Jane!" Lizzie whined.

"Lizzie, it's not that big a deal."

"Jane"

"Lizzie"

"Jane"

"Fine! It was Charlie on the phone," Jane said, smiling shyly.

"Charlie! The guy from the party?" Lizzie asked excitedly.

"Yes..."

"OH MY GOSH! Jane! What did he want?" Lizzie became more animated.

"He wanted to go out for dinner."

"Jane! You're dating him?"

"It's not a date, Lizzie!"

"Is too!"

"Lizzie!"

"Jane!"

"Lizzie!"

"Jane and Charlie sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I- OW!" Lizzie cried out in surprise when Jane began hitting her with a pillow.

"Lizzie! It is NOT a date!" Jane screamed as she hit Lizzie relentlessly.

"Jane! Stop hitting me!" Lizzie shouted as she reached for a pillow.

"Liz-Ah!" Lizzie yelled in triumph as she began whacking Jane with a pillow.

"Okay! Fine! I give up! You win!" Jane yielded, giving in to her younger sister.

"Wow Jane! You and Charlie! I knew it!"

"Lizzie... Ow!"

Will sighed and turned towards Charlie, quietly asking him, 'Why am I here?"

"Will"

"What? I get why you're here. You have a date with Jane. But why am I here? I don't have a date with Jane."

Charlie groaned softly and turned towards his friend, "Will. Look, you're not going to be alone. Lizzie's coming too."

"Lizzie?" Darcy asked, confused.

"Yeah. Elizabeth. Elizabeth Bennett? Jane's sister? Remember her?"  
Will frowned gently. He remembered that certain sister of Jane's very well. It was as if it had only been a few days since he had seen her. Wait, it had only been a few days. He shook his head. Lately, she had been occupying his thoughts more than was healthy.  
He noticed Jane approaching the table, and carefully made his face blank. He noted that she was arriving alone. Charlie looked at Jane with so much adoration that Will felt sick. He gave Jane a confused look, wondering what happened to Lizzie. Jane seemed to sense his unease since she immediately broke her eye lock with Charlie and quietly told Will, "Lizzie's running a bit late. She had a late class to attend. She should be here soon."

Charlie grinned at Will, "Told ya so."

Will grumbled softly and murmured something about being a know-it-all and how it often causes death. Charlie chuckled lightly and turned to Jane, whispering something conspiratorially in her ear. Will sighed in frustration and excused himself. He walked into the bathroom and stood at one of the sinks, vowing to never come along with Charlie on one of his outings with Jane again. He looked at his reflection in the large mirror. Will had always been good-looking, a gift from his father's side of the family, and he usually didn't care about his appearance, but for some reason, after finding out that Elizabeth was coming, he felt at unease. He checked himself, making sure that he didn't look too flustered. His hair was a bit long, but it still looked good. Will faced his face, fixed his hair, and took a deep breath. Then he exhaled and straightened his shoulders and strode out of the room.

Lizzie rushed out of the taxi, looking a bit wild with her hair mussed up and her eyes bright with excitement. She quickly paid the taxi driver, and struggled to slip her high heels on. With that, she got out of the taxi, fixed herself, and entered the posh restaurant. Upon entering, Lizzie felt conspicuous, like a pigeon amongst doves. She looked down at her clothes, which she would have considered quite nice until two seconds previously. Now they seemed practically ratty. Lizzie sighed, lifted her head high, and walked to the podium at which a maitre'd stood. He was tall with dirty blond hair and sparkling green eyes. The man gave her an odd look when she approached, his eyebrows shooting into the air. She smiled at him and confidently stated, "I am with the Bingley party."

The maitre'd blinked, trying to process the fact that this disheveled woman could be with the Bingleys, a wealthy, honorable family in the area. Finally, he smiled at her and asked, "Miss Bennett?"

"Yes."

"Please come with me."

Lizzie nodded and followed the man to a secluded table set in the corner of the room. Lizzie grinned widely when she saw the way Jane and Charlie were wrapped up in each other, so engrossed in the other's eyes that they didn't even notice her approach them. On the other hand, the other person present noticed her immediately, and he looked away when he saw that she was looking at him. He glanced back a few moments later. Lizzie saw this and raised her eyebrows, silently daring him to maintain eye contact with her. He smirked in response, and kept his gaze on her, his eyes slowly tracing her facial features, her eyes, her cheeks, her jaw, her lips...

"Ahem." Will and Lizzie snapped out of their silent competition, Will looking extremely startled, and Lizzie nearly falling out of her both looked at Charlie, who was looking them with a very amused look. Lizzie looked around confused, wondering what was so amusing when she noticed that Darcy was glaring at Charlie. She raised her eyebrow and looked at him, silently questioning his actions. Darcy turned back to her with a cold glare. Lizzie almost started, but she caught herself before she did so and give Darcy any pleasure in seeing that he had surprised her.

Dinner continued awkwardly, with Charlie and Jane making mushy faces at each other, Darcy taking turns between glaring at Charlie and glaring at Lizzie, and Lizzie torn between laughing at how adorable Jane and Charlie were and scowling because of a certain Mr. Darcy.

* * *

"God! That was so frustrating! Jane, I am NEVER going to go with you on one of your dates with Charlie again. I don't care if you guys are adorable and cute and mushy. I will not willingly go near that man again! "Ugh! He is so frustrating!"

"Charlie?" Jane asked, her face vulnerable and her eyes wide.

Lizzie hit her head against her hand, and groaned, "No! Not Charlie. The other one." She spat out his

name, acting as if she had tasted something horrible.

"Will?"

"Yes Janie, Will. The arrogant, obnoxious jerk whose ego crowded the restaurant Will. The butthead, buttface, buttbrain... buttbrain?" Lizzie paused in the middle of rant, reconsidering her word choice. She muttered softly, "Hmm... That's not right. Birdbrain? Birdbrain! That's it!" Lizzie grinned in triumph, having successfully found a word to insult Will Darcy once again.

"Liz," Jane said calmly, taking her sister's attention away from her ramblings.  
"Yeah?"

"Why do you hate him?"

"Oh my gosh! I never told you Janie? Well, that _thing_ was horrible to me the night of the Lucas's party. He insulted me before even meeting me!" Lizzie declared loudly, beginning to get aggravated.

Jane sighed gently, thinking that her sister was simply getting worked up over nothing.

"Jane! I'm serious! He hadn't even met me and he called me a desperate girl who would do anything to get a man! He said that I seemed like a bimbo! A bimbo! Who is he to say that? Then, after Charlie told him that he had heard about my intelligence, he had the nerve to say that I wasn't pretty, but simply tolerable. As if I was some sort of punishment that had been forced on him!"

"Liz, are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!"

"It's just that Will seems so nice. A bit quiet, but still nice." Jane said softly, her eyebrows cutely furrowed in confusion.

Lizzie groaned. Jane was too naive and kindhearted. She was inclined to think the best of everybody. She would have probably complimented Hitler if she had met him, thinking that he was a pleasant man with a nice disposition. She decided to drop the subject since she knew it was hopeless; her darling sister would not think ill of Will Darcy.

Lizzie was on her own in her hatred for the man, or so she thought.

* * *

George Wickham picked up his cell phone and dialed a number in.

"George?" a soft, very feminine voice answered.

"Can I come to your place tonight?" He asked, trying to sound sweet and caring.

"Umm... okay." George grinned. He needed to stop thinking about Darcy, and he was quite sure that she would help him.

He picked up his bag and headed out the door. Tonight was going to be fun...

* * *

DUN DUN DUN! What is George up to? We shall see... (laughs wickedly) Oh, you know you love me, as much as you try not to. :) So please, let me know what you think about this chappie, and give me lots of ideas, so I can make this the best story ever! (snort, yea right. I wish) But still, thanks for all of your support, and please review so I can know what you guys are thinking, even if it's just that you hate me for leaving you with a cliffy! :)

Luv ya!


	6. More Than Friends

**Simply Tolerable**

**Chapter 6: More Than Friends**

_**Summary: She could remember the kiss vividly. She could remember every little detail about it. But the one thing she couldn't remember was the man... Join Lizzie through a whirlpool of events involving love, chaos, drama, and a certain pair of clear, blue eyes.**_

_**Disclaimer: Okay. If I owned Pride and Prejudice, do you really think I would be here on Fanfiction? No. I would totally be sitting in some awesome mansion and working away on my next masterpiece. And I'm not, so therefore I don't own Pride and Prejudice.**_

* * *

A/N: Okay. I have been evil... I know. And I feel horrible. You all are probably really mad at me for starting other stories while this one is in progress. You see, I was having horrible writer's block, but I was able to conquer it with the help of my other stories. They do serve a purpose. I was in need of a little break from this story. But I'M BACK! And I've added another little interesting element, which you will be introduced to here! So enjoy!

BTW, I am feeling very depressed by the numbers of reviews I've been getting. Please oh please! More, more, more! I want more! That's why I'm giving an incentive. If you guys can reach 45 reviews on this story. I promise to update within the next two weeks! So get to it! Tell your friends, your relatives, your classmates! If I get 15 reviews on this chapter, I'll update early!

And now... SIMPLY TOLERABLE! (Chapter 6)

* * *

Lizzie groaned as she flopped down on her couch. She had just gotten back from a friend's house where they had been studying for 5 hours. In two days, Lizzie had her oral examination for her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature. She never knew her head could hurt so much. Even though she knew almost everything she was quizzed on, she hated studying. Long periods of time with mindless recitation bored her. Lizzie would rather learn more than spend time proving to people that she knew what she had learned previously. She called out to Jane, "Janey! Can you grab me some Tylenol? My head is killing me! Janie? Janie!"

Jane peeked out from her bedroom, her blonde hair tied up in a bun and her blue eyes sleepy and dazed. She quietly called out, "Lizzie? Is that you? When did you get home?"

Lizzie sat up straighter, "Oh Janey! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you were sleeping!"

Jane blinked her eyes slowly and smiled at her sister, "It's okay, Liz. I'm up now. So, what did you need?"

"It's okay, Janie. I'll get it myself. You go to sleep."

"You sure?" Jane asked, doubtful.

"Yup. Go sleep."Lizzie reassured her.

"Okay. Good night," Jane said as she got up from the couch.

"Night!" Lizzie grinned at her sister.

"Make sure to sleep soon, Liz!" Jane called over her shoulder as she entered her bedroom.

"Okay. I will!" Lizzie shouted back at Jane, muttering under her breath, "Not."

Lizzie grumbled as a new wave of pain hit her again. She reluctantly got up from the couch and made her way into the bathroom. She opened the medicine cabinet above the sink and rummaged around clumsily, searching for some sort of pain medication. Finally, the red and white bottle came into view and Lizzie happily gulped down two tablets with a glass of water.

She made her way back to the couch and fell back onto it, just laying there silently for a few minutes as the pain in her head lessened.

Suddenly, her phone rang. Lizzie growled as her head throbbed once more. She contemplated just ignoring the call. After all, what sane person calls at... three in the morning? But then, the phone rang again. Lizzie grabbed the phone and practically growled into the phone, "What?"

The voice on the other side of the line was cheery. "Hi. Lizzie? It's me George."

Lizzie immediately forgot the time and her annoyance at her late-night caller, "Oh hey, George. What's up?"

"Nothing much. I'm in London right now. How's California?"

"California's great. God! I'm so glad I moved here four years ago!"

"Really? You moved four years ago? Why?"

"Well, I got into Stanford and moved here about four years ago. Jane couldn't live without me, so she followed me over here. And I think that the rest of my family moved because mom can't stand being away from Jane more than a second. But they claim that it was because Dad got a great job opportunity here. So, that's how we came here from New York."

"That's cool," George said after a little pause. He seemed a bit distracted, but Lizzie brushed it off. He was probably tired or busy or something.

"So, London huh?" She asked, trying to get some conversation started.

"Uh, yeah," George replied hesitantly.

"That would explain the time."

"Huh?"

"Oh, it's three in the morning here," Lizzie explained.

"Oh, really? I'm sorry. I guess I totally forgot about the time difference. I guess I was in a big rush to talk to you. Sorry! If you want, I can call you tomorrow."

"No!" Lizzie practically shouted into the phone. "I mean, it's fine. Besides, I was already up. I have this huge exam coming up, so I was studying. It's fine, really."

"Alright. So, I actually called to find out if you were free on Sunday. I'm going to be back in town, and I wanted to take you out."

"Oh, um... okay. I'm sure that will be fine," Lizzie was barely able to contain her excitement. George was taking her out. Lizzie had been so wrapped up with her education that she rarely had time to go out. And besides, most guys at Stanford, especially the Literature department, weren't exactly attractive. So George was like a breath of fresh air.

"Okay, well, I should get going. I'll see you Sunday at 7."

"Wait, where?" Lizzie hadn't heard George mention a place.

"Oh, how about you give me your address and I'll pick you up? Then we'll go wherever you want to go. How does that sound?"

Lizzie blushed and said shyly, "It sounds perfect."

"Okay."

"Okay, my address is 12345 Halloway Boulevard. It's really close to Stanford."

"See you on Sunday," George said happily.

"Bye."

"Bye."

Lizzie quietly hung up the phone and grabbed a pillow. She shoved her head into it and screamed excitedly. Sunday was going to be amazing!

* * *

"Oh come on Will!" Charlie said exasperatedly. "I've known you for as long as I can remember and I know you well enough to know that you are definitely interested in Lizzie! Just admit it Will! There's nothing wrong with liking a girl! Not all girls are like Maria! Not all of them-"

"Shut up Charlie! Just shut up! Don't ever say her name again! I don't want to hear about her! She ruined my life, Charlie! I almost killed myself because of her! Don't talk about her!" Will screamed, his face turning red and his fists clenching at his sides

"But-" Charlie started, before he was cut off.

"No Charlie! Everybody always assumes that I don't care, but I do! It hurts, okay? It will always hurt. I can never be with her again. Ever. But that doesn't mean that I don't feel pain. I feel it everyday. Every bloody day I see her face when I get up! I wake up every night thinking about her. And it kills me all over again. Do you know how that feels, Charlie? To wake up everyday and know that the girl you love isn't with you? No, or course not! You have Jane! Jane, the perfect girl! But I don't have Maria, Charlie! I never did!" Will shouted.

"Will. Just give Lizzie a chance!" Charlie pleaded. He knew that he was hurting his friend, but he had to. Will had to move on. Someday he had to accept the truth. And Charlie knew that Will could fall in love with Lizzie. He could if he was willing to open his heart once more. But William Darcy has sealed off his heart. He had sealed it off from everyone but a small handful of people who he still trusted. To everybody else, he was stone. Charlie had to change that.

"No! I don't want Lizzie. I don't care if she's beautiful and smart and witty. I gave up on love a long time ago Charlie! I gave up, so stop trying to force it on me! I will never fall in love again!" Will screamed, his voice cracking as he collapsed on the ground in a heap. He took deep breaths for about five minutes. Then, he stood up. He straightened himself up, brushed off his clothes, and turned to his best friend. He calmly spoke, "Charlie. Please. Please," here his voice broke, the only sign of his previous loss of control, "Charlie. I don't need another woman in my life. I was destroyed the first time I fell in love. I can't risk that again. Please. Don't push me."

Will took a deep breath and left the room with quick, long steps. Charlie looked at the picture on the wall and sighed. "I will make sure he's happy. I promise Mrs. Darcy. I promise," Charlie whispered at the beautiful woman in the painting.

* * *

A/N: TA-DA! Oooooh! Who's Maria? And what happened to her? I wonder... *suspense*

Well, until next time my pretties. And remember, 45 reviews, so review, review, review!


	7. Shock

**Simply Tolerable**

**Chapter 7: Shock**

_**Summary: She could remember the kiss vividly. She could remember every little detail about it. But the one thing she couldn't remember was the man... Join Lizzie through a whirlpool of events involving love, chaos, drama, and a certain pair of clear, blue eyes.**_

_**Disclaimer: Okay. If I owned Pride and Prejudice, do you really think I would be here on Fanfiction? No. I would totally be sitting in some awesome mansion and working away on my next masterpiece. And I'm not, so therefore I don't own Pride and Prejudice.**_

* * *

A/N: I read the reviews on my original post of the chapter. I agree with you all completely. I was pumped by the thought of completing the chappie in one go, and I guess I wasn't able to play it out like I should have. I was trying to make Lizzie seem like a big feminist but in a more conservative way. Kinda like me, I suppose... :) Basically, she and Charlotte are a lot more innocent than most modern renditions because they have to grow up. I guess Lizzie does seem over the top here, but that makes the change more dramatic in my eyes.

Anyways, enough ranting. Let me know if this seems a little bit more in character. If not, feel free to review with ideas. I am totally feeling lost on this chappie. But don't worry! I know exactly where the story is going!

So please review and let me know if you like it or not!

* * *

Lizzie stepped into Charlotte's apartment, casually tossing her bag on the carpeted floor near the door. She kicked her Converse off and headed into the apartment, randomly whistling happily. She had just come back from a date with George. They had gone to the movies and gotten a bite afterwards. It wasn't especially unique, but Lizzie couldn't stop smiling. To top things off, she felt like she had aced her exam. She had answered all of the questions correct orally except for one or two that she wasn't sure about. She felt good for the first time in quite a while. Perhaps it was just the fact that she had gotten a full night's sleep. Or maybe that her social life was normal again. Either way, all in all, in was a good Sunday.

She sighed happily as she flung her jacket onto the couch and flopped down on it, her hair fanning everywhere. She thought over the afternoon with a goofy grin on her face. George was extremely sweet. He had arrived at the apartment she shared with Jane, a bouquet in one hand and chocolates in the other. After that, they went to the movies and saw the newest action movie, inception. He took her out for pizza where he joked with her and complimented her incessantly. Lizzie grinned and closed her eyes, reveling in her contentedness.

She became aware of a muffled sound coming from the direction of Charlotte's bedroom. Lizzie sat up, alarmed. She got up and began moving towards the sound, calling out in a concerned voice, "Char? Char? Where are you, Char? Cha- Oh my god! Char?"

Lizzie shouted and rushed towards Charlotte, who lay in a broken heap on the floor of her bedroom, her makeup smudged and her clothes in disarray. Lizzie immediately gave her friend a hug, attempting to calm Charlotte down and get some answers.

A few hours later, Charlotte had visibly calmed down and she and Lizzie were sitting on her bed, sipping tea that Lizzie had quickly brewed a few minutes earlier.

"Goddamn it Charlotte! Please, just tell me what happened!"

"There's nothing to tell Lizzie!"

Lizzie felt tears coming to her eyes. She felt so lost and betrayed, "What's going on, Char?"

"Nothing! I'm fine! Nothing happened!" Charlotte

"Char?" Lizzie asked her best friend timidly, her eyes searching

"Lizzie, please!"

Lizzie nodded mutely, forcing the tears that were welling in her eyes away. She and Char had never kept anything from each other. Within a week of meeting each other, they had become best friends, but today Lizzie felt hurt because Char was obviously hiding something from her. Lizzie willed herself to stop feeling self-pity. Right now, she needed to be there for Char, no matter what had happened. Lizzie quietly shifted on the bed so she was next to her best friend and gave her a hug, trying to comfort Charlotte and make her feel better. There would be time later for talking about the problem, but right now, Charlotte just needed a friend. Hopefully, if they stayed together, everything would be okay.

"Lizzie?" Char's strangled voice came out from within their embrace.

"Yeah Char?" Lizzie said as softly as she could.

"You promise not to tell anybody?" Char asked, hesitantly.

Lizzie smiled at that. Give to Charlotte Lucas to act like a teenage girl during an emotional breakdown. She smiled at her best friend, "Of course I won't tell anyone. After all, I never told about your obsession with teddy bears in 9th grade."

"Lizzie!"

"What? I didn't tell anybody! I never promised not to tease you about it!"

Charlotte wiped some of her tears from her face, and chuckled slightly. "You always were like that Liz. I know I can trust you with this. It's just so scary..." she trailed off.

"What's so scary, Char?" Lizzie asked quietly, careful not to discourage her friend from confessing to whatever it was that was bothering her.

"Liz?"

"Yes Char?"

"Promise that you won't be mad?" Charlotte asked, clearly frightened and afraid of losing her dearest friend.

"Char, what would I be mad about?" Lizzie asked softly.

There was no reply. Charlotte was looking down, fiddling with her hands.

"Char, please tell me what's going on. I'm getting really worried."

"I'm pregnant," Charlotte mumbled.

Lizzie started. Pregnant? How was that even possible? Charlotte didn't... She wouldn't...

Lizzie was normally pretty modern, but when it came to certain things, she was actually extremely conservative. She believed in sex after marriage. She felt that she didn't need to sell herself like that. She would feel like a prostitute. Besides, to Lizzie, it seemed like something one would do when they were extremely desperate. Charlotte wasn't desperate. She was beautiful and smart and funny and loving. She didn't need to give up everything for a man's attention. So why?

She couldn't believe it. Charlotte and she had made vows to save themselves for their husbands. What had happened? How could Charlotte have done that? This could end her! How was she going to raise a child and finish college? How would she support herself? Who would look after the child? Lizzie froze. What if Charlotte was thinking of an abortion? Lizzie shook her head; she was so confused and overwhelmed. She needed time to think.

Lizzie turned towards her friend. She quietly whispered, "Char?" her voice breaking with emotion.  
"Liz-"  
Lizzie interrupted her friend, raising her hand. "Char, I- I just need some time. This is a shock, and I need time to accept it. Please, just- just let me be for now."  
Charlotte nodded quietly. With that, Lizzie got up and left Charlotte's apartment. She stepped out of Charlotte's building and into a heavy downpour. By the time she reached her own apartment, she looked as bad as she felt. She was numb. She didn't know what to think, what to feel, what to do. She fell onto her bed, just laying there and staring at the ceiling. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she fell into a pitiful sleep.

* * *

A man entered the bar, walking and acting like his was the coolest man on Earth, which, everybody knew he was. He waltzed in and went straight to the bar, where he took a seat. He calmly turned to the bartender and said, "Jack Daniels."

The bartender nodded and poured the tall man some of the whiskey. He asked the man, "Anything else sir?"

The man shook his head and responded, "I'm good... For now." With that, he turned around in his seat and started surveying the room.

Lydia had noticed him the second he had come in. He was tall, hot, and built. And he knew it. She watched him as he walked over to the bar, and has practically swooned when he had ordered a whiskey. While he was talking to the waiter, she quickly poked Kitty and said, "See? I told you we'd find cute boys here!"

Kitty looked in the direction her younger sister was pointing, and the tall man, her eyes widened. She whispered to Lydia breathlessly, "You're right! He's so hot!"

Lydia smirked at her and turned towards the man. After a few seconds, she brightened. "I'm gonna talk to him! Watch and learn Kitty!" she told her sister confidently.

She walked over to the bar and peeked at the man from under her eyelashes. "Hi. I'm Lydia! Who're you?" she asked flirtatiously.

The man turned and grinned at her, his blue eyes sparkling. He spoke with his deep voice, "I'm George. George Wickham."

* * *

A/N: Dun dun dun!

Hehe. Yes, pesky George is back. And now he's after Lydia. But isn't he dating Lizzie? What will happen? We shall find out soon...

Oh, and I'm not telling you who the father is... but feel free to ponder.

As you can tell, I have now diverted from the original storyline. Things are gonna be very different... hopefully, in a way you guys like :)

Until next time my sweets!


	8. Forgive and Forget

**Simply Tolerable**

**Chapter 8: Forgive and Forget**

_**Summary: She could remember the kiss vividly. She could remember every little detail about it. But the one thing she couldn't remember was the man... Join Lizzie through a whirlpool of events involving love, chaos, drama, and a certain pair of clear, blue eyes.**_

_**Disclaimer: Okay. If I owned Pride and Prejudice, do you really think I would be here on Fanfiction? No. I would totally be sitting in some awesome mansion and working away on my next masterpiece. And I'm not, so therefore I don't own Pride and Prejudice.**_

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**_A/N: Hey guys! I noticed that most of you weren't happy that Lizzie and Charlotte weren't speaking anymore, so I decided to change the plot a bit and give you all this chappie! Hope this makes up for the last chapter.

I know that Lizzie seems really immature in this story, but this story is also a sort of coming-of-age story. For a twenty-something year-old. :)

Please, please, please, tell me what you all think. I've been getting a few hundred hits, but only 6 or 7 reviews, so I know there are some people out there who aren't reviewing... PLEASE REVIEW! I don't like blackmailing for reviews, but I'm starting to consider doing so! Just kidding. But please, review.

Also, I want to thank my amazing reviewers. Thank you loli-pop0394, titans123, mokelly, and Nicole. You are so supportive and wonderful! This chappie is for you guys! :)

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"I miss her, Jane," Lizzie stated forlornly. She had been unhappy for the past two weeks, stuck between her sense of pride and her best friend.

"Then call her, Liz," Jane said matter-of-factly. Jane had also disagreed with Charlotte's behavior, but she was quick to understand and forgive. Lizzie, on the other hand, had a harder time letting it go.

"But Jane! I haven't forgiven her! I just-" Lizzie sighed, "I just miss her."

"Call her Liz."

Lizzie glanced at her sister sadly, "What if she doesn't want to talk to me?"

Jane smiled sympathetically, "Fine, then go over to her apartment. That way she'll have to talk to you."

Lizzie brightened up and hugged her sister tightly, "That's it! Janey, you're a genius!"

She walked to Charlotte's apartment quickly, her hair and clothes in a complete disarray. She knocked on Charlotte's door nervously. Charlotte opened the door, looking both confused and unbelievably happy. She smiled widely and pulled Lizzie into a hug, crying out, "Oh Lizzie! I've missed you so much!"

Lizzie and Charlotte sat down on the couch, and talked about random things, simply enjoying each other's company. Finally, Charlotte took a deep breath, and glanced at Lizzie nervously.

"Hey Liz?" she asked softly.

"Yeah Char?" Lizzie looked at her friend curiously.

"Are you still mad at me?"

Lizzie sighed. She knew this was coming. She smiled at Charlotte and replied, "Char, I don't approve of what you did, but I know that we can't change that now. And your friendship is more important to me than my pride."

Charlotte smiled and threw her arms around her friend, grinning.

They spent the rest of the night watching movies and eating popcorn, chips, and candy.

Lizzie returned to her apartment at 3 in the morning, quickly falling into bed. As she was falling asleep, Lizzie thought over the past few hours. Yes, Charlotte had made a big mistake, but at least she was dealing with the responsibility and keeping the child. Lizzie smiled. She felt so much happier now that she had her friend back. Nothing could bring her down.

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"Lizzie! Hurry! We have to get home as soon as possible! Mom said it was urgent!" Jane called out pleadingly. Francine had called minutes previously, in a frantic state, mumbling about some sort of an emergency that had her poor nerves frazzled.

Lizzie rolled her eyes. Her mother's emergencies were the equivalent of a broken nail or a bad perm. Francine Bennett was the type of woman who would cause chaos over the smallest of things. Lizzie couldn't imagine what could have happened. But either way, whether it was a real emergency or not, she still had to go home with her darling sister.

Lizzie grumbled and stepped out of her bedroom, barely awake, her quick shower assisting her very little in staying awake, and her clothes thrown on in her bleary haste. Jane had been ready, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, half an hour before they got the phone call, so she had been waiting patiently for Lizzie, who had only had five hours of sleep due to her chat with Charlotte the previous night, to get ready. But they were getting late.

The girls quickly got into their black Camry and drove off to their parent's home. When they arrived, the house was in chaos. was running around like a chicken with its head cut off, screaming at the twins to clean up their mess in the living room. Lydia and Kitty had locked themselves into the room they shared, probably gossiping and giggling again like always. Mary was sitting at the kitchen table, reading another frighteningly thick novel. Mr. Bennett was in his study under the pretense of work when he simply didn't want to deal with her deranged wife.

Upon entering, Jane immediately got to work, first calming her mother down and asking her what needed to be done. She took Francine upstairs while Lizzie got to work in the living room. Her youngest sisters were slobs that rivaled pigs. Lizzie quickly cleared the table and picked up all sorts of clothing from the floor. It was amazing that two teenage girls could make a room so messy within a mere hour. She vacuumed the carpet quickly and grabbed some wipes, which she wiped down the tables with. Finally, she sprayed fabric freshener on the couch and the chairs. She grabbed a scented candle and lit it in a corner of the room. Lizzie sighed and glanced around at the room. It finally looked the way it normally did. She went into the kitchen, where she found Jane cooking up a storm. Lizzie helped Jane with cooking the food.

When they had finally finished, Lizzie sat down at the kitchen table, across from Mary, and looked at Jane questioningly. Jane smiled and replied, "We have some important guest coming. Apparently we have to prepare an amazing dinner and make sure that everybody looks wonderful, like a perfect family. Oh, and he'll be here by five, so you should start making everybody get ready."

Lizzie glanced at her watch, it was two in the afternoon, and knowing the twins and Francine, getting ready would take them at least two hours. Mary and Mr. Bennett simply needed to change, while Jane and Lizzie, who had been cleaning and cooking for a good four hours, were in desperate need of a shower. Lizzie groaned and got up, heading to the twins' room.

It was exactly five o'clock when the doorbell rang. chuckled and whispered to Lizzie, "I can already tell that this young man is going to be a real charmer." Lizzie grinned at her father's sarcasm. They loved laughing at the prissy, nerdy, and socially awkward men that Francine invited to their house. These men were desperate to get married, and the Bennett girls, all quite attractive, were like the lottery to them. Lizzie was prepared for the worst when Mrs. Bennett opened the door, but when she saw who the young man was, her jaw dropped and she was speechless. Of all people, she was not expecting _him_.

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Whew! Another chapter done! Yay! That's three chapters in two weeks! I'm all happy now!

So, any guesses on the mystery man? Hmmm... who could it be? We'll see next time!

Please review! I need your reviews. Literally, I NEED them. They tell me what you think. So please review, because otherwise I'll feel depressed and I won't be able to write you guys a new chapter! So REVIEW!


	9. How Interesting

**Simply Tolerable**

**Chapter 9: How Interesting...**

_**Summary: She could remember the kiss vividly. She could remember every little detail about it. But the one thing she couldn't remember was the man... Join Lizzie through a whirlpool of events involving love, chaos, drama, and a certain pair of clear, blue eyes.**_

_**Disclaimer: Okay. If I owned Pride and Prejudice, do you really think I would be here on Fanfiction? No. I would totally be sitting in some awesome mansion and working away on my next masterpiece. And I'm not, so therefore I don't own Pride and Prejudice.**_

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A/N: I'M BAAAAAACK!

Readers: You suck! Why'd you take so long?

Nikkitusa: Well then! I guess I'll just take this new chappie and go then! Who cares that I've been really busy with school and sports and music? Who cares? I'll just go home and burn this chappie as I study for a science test.

Readers: NO! Put down the chappie or else!

Nikkitusa: Or else what?

Readers: We'll...

Nikkitusa: ...

Readers: ...

Nikkitusa: *smirk*

Readers: Argh! Fine! You don't suck!

Nikkitusa: Thank you! Now give me lots of reviews!

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With her brown eyes as wide as saucers, Lizzie opened and closed her mouth in shock, looking remarkably like a goldfish. Jane sent her sister a worried glance discreetly, hoping that Lizzie wouldn't make a scene. Mrs. Bennett, who had no inkling of her daughter's hatred for their "esteemed" guest, was looking quite happy and a bit smug. The rest of the family members remained neutral in reaction to their guest, a bit bored and and uninterested.

Mrs. Bennett stepped forward and graciously welcomed the man into their home while Mr. Bennett gruffly said hello and shook his hand. Jane said hello as well, while Mary ignored everybody, immersed in her book, and the twins gossiped about their guest.

The man finally turned to Lizzie, his eyes hopeful as he waited for her reaction. Finally, Lizzie was able to gain some sense of speech and she managed to choke out a strangled, "Collins?". He grinned at her when her voice squeaked.

Lizzie couldn't believe it. Billy Collins, the bane of her existence, was standing at her doorstep. Even after so many years, not much had changed. he was still quite short, though now he was a few inches taller, barely taller than her. Though he was not overweight, Collins has never quite lost his baby fat, always looking a bit chubby and pear-like. His brown hair was slicked back with a large amount of gel, looking oily and sticky. His face was bright red and shiny, freshly scrubbed. He grinned widely, displaying an array of crooked, slightly yellow teeth. Basically, he was still the same creep who had followed Lizzie around during high school, only this time, he was in her house, having been invited by her crazed match-making mother.

Collins stepped closer to Lizzie, his eyes appraising her appearance. Once he was satisfied that she was the same girl he had fanatically stalked in high school, he approached her and took her hand, and -Lizzie assumed he was trying to be suave- kissed it, slobbering it with his saliva excitedly. Everybody present except for Mrs. Bennett grimaced a little. Collins then preceded to converse with the lady of the house about their home, speaking arrogantly, "Thank you for welcoming into your home. It is quite lovely, though not as magnificent as my employer's home. Did you know that she is a multi-millionaire? She has this grand mansion in Beverly Hills..."

Lizzie stopped listening to Collins' rambling as they entered the sitting room, feeling completely uninterested in what type of mansion some stuck-up, rich heiress had. Getting antsy, she scooted down the leather couch closer to Jane. Jane had been pretty quiet for most of the evening, quietly brooding off to the side while others conversed about frivolous things. Lizzie began softly talking to her, asking her what she was thinking about in her solitude. Charlie's thoughts had been preceding everything else on Jane's mind, much as they had for a majority of the time that had passed since Jane had started spending time with him. They chatted a while longer until Mrs. Bennett scolded them for whispering like teenage girls and ordered them to join the rest of the group in conversation. Lizzie grumbled to Jane about how Lydia and Kitty were doing enough gossiping for the both of them, earning a small giggle as a reward. Lizzie kept checking her watch as subtly as she could while Collins rambled on and on about his amazing employer Catherine De Bourgh, his amazing job given to him by Catherine De Bourgh, his amazing house which was provided by Catherine De Bourgh, and his amazing life working for Catherine De Bourgh. Every phrase that left Collins' mouth had to do with Catherine De Bourgh. Minutes passed by agonizingly.

Right when Lizzie was starting to dose off, Mrs. Bennett loudly proclaimed that it was time for dinner. It was one of the few times where Lizzie was truly grateful to her mother for being extremely loud. Everybody got up from the couches in the living room and ventured to the dining room where the table was piled with enticing food. The Bennetts and Billy Collins sat down around the heavily-laden, wooden dining table, served themselves, and began eating.

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"Why Mrs. Bennett, this Baked Alaska is wonderful!" Collins remarked as he happily gobbled down the dessert that lay in front of him, bits of which ended up on his face.

Lizzie grimaced as she watched the sad scene in front of her. She suddenly brightened up and grinned at Collins, eliciting a confused, hopeful gaze from the little man. She declared cheekily, "But Collins, this dish is the omelette surprise!"

Collins started, almost dropping his spoon, but barely catching himself. He cleared his throat slightly and turned to Lizzie with a confused expression on his face. He proclaimed, "My dear Elizabeth, this is Baked Alaska. It doesn't seem like some kind of egg treat. Unless..."

Lizzie smirked slightly, suddenly mocking embarrassment, "Oh, my bad. I forgot that Omelette Surprise was just another name for Baked Alaska. Of course this isn't eggs."

Collins colored slightly, his face turning red as others at the table chuckled, and Lizzie looked at Collins smugly, her eyes glinting with victory.

Dinner continued without a hitch, except for Lizzie contemplating suicide and Collins coming very close to death on a couple of occasions. Mrs. Bennett doted on Collins, oblivious to the fact that everybody else was either indifferent to or extremely annoyed by Collins. Mr. Bennett was extremely unhappy that Collins was taking away from his daily reading. Lydia and Kitty were indifferent to Collins, only pausing in their gossip whenever Collins' antics became particularly interesting, where they would giggle to each other and continue. Jane remained wonderful and neutral throughout the evening, but by the end of dinner, everybody noticed that she was getting a bit cranky as well.

When dinner was finished, Collins entered the family room again with the family, leaving Lizzie and Jane to clean up.

"I think I might love him Liz," Jane confessed quietly, her cheeks tinted with red as she lowered her head gently.

Lizzie fumbled with the dish she was holding, nearly dropping it, but saving it just in time. She placed the plate she was holding on the table and turned toward Jane exuberantly. She grinned happily and ran to Jane, hugging her joyously.

"Oh Janey! That's amazing! Have you told him?" Lizzie practically squealed as she held onto her elder sister with a death-grip. Jane blushed a little and shook her head slightly. "But Janey, you need to tell him."

"I-I thought he would be able to tell on his own," Jane confessed quietly, her voice barely a whisper. Lizzie almost didn't hear her.

"No! You have to tell him! Boys are complete idiots when it comes to love. Well, they're idiots when it comes to anything, but that's not important. What's important is that my sister's in love!" Lizzie exclaimed joyously. She and Jane laughed and twirled about the kitchen, peals of laughter erupting from their mouths. Suddenly, things were looking a lot less dismal for Lizzie. She could definitely survive a little more time with Dreary McDrearykins back in the living room. After all, it's just a few hours, right?

Wrong.

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A/N: Ooooh! Dun dun dun! xD I'M SO SORRY FOR BEING SO LATE WITH THIS CHAPTER! Forgive meeeee! But it's up now!

I have an interesting twist coming next chappie. Any guesses what it is? Review with what you think will happen, and if you're right, I'll give you a little sneak preview!

DO NOT FORGET! Review! Or I won't remember to post, as I did with this chappie. This completed chappie has been sitting on my computer for a good month now.

Hehe.

...

This is awkward.

Well, BYE!


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